Chapter 1171: Saintly Prodigy

"Clear the battlefield, set up the formation flags, and destroy this node."

As Nagaraja vanished, the intense killing intent on Zhou Yuan's face gradually subsided, though his eyes remained chillingly cold. He then waved his hand and gave the command.

Immediately, figures swiftly darted out behind him, charging with lethal intent towards the Saint Race teams Zhou Yuan had previously injured.

A short while later, all the Saint Race teams had been annihilated.

Li Qingchan immediately ordered her team to spread out and set up formation flags within this node space. Soon, the barrier began to tremble violently, the vast expanse of yellow sand gradually dissipated, and the space itself showed signs of distortion.

Observing this, Li Qingchan approached Zhou Yuan. Her clear, serene eyes fixed on him. She, too, had sensed the intense killing intent emanating from Zhou Yuan earlier, a clear indication of the profound connection between him and the girl named Su Youwei.

Nagaraja's deception, using Su Youwei as a mere illusion, was indeed infuriating.

However, she said little, for she trusted the young man before her. While his achievements over the years were astounding, his most remarkable quality was his unyielding spirit. Nagaraja, thinking such tactics could sway his resolve, had gravely underestimated him.

Nagaraja's playful cruelty had only fueled Zhou Yuan's killing intent.

"Are you alright now?" Li Qingchan asked softly, her beautiful eyes shifting like cool moonlight.

Zhou Yuan smiled. "I'm just considering what kind of death he'll get to choose when the time comes."

Li Qingchan nodded slightly, her voice uncharacteristically gentle. "Still, don't underestimate him. To be the strongest Saint Genius in the Sacred Ancestor Heaven, his power is truly unfathomable."

Zhou Yuan nodded, then remarked earnestly to Li Qingchan, "Senior Sister Qingchan, I genuinely didn't expect you to have such a gentle side."

Li Qingchan's slender, jade-like finger flicked lightly, and the longsword in her hand sprang half an inch from its scabbard, shedding a cold gleam that caused the temperature to plummet.

"Ahem, this node has been destroyed. Let's quickly move to the next one." Sensing the sudden chill, Zhou Yuan cleared his throat, gave the order, and his figure shot forward, smashing through the space ahead with a punch and stepping through first.

Li Qingchan observed his slightly flustered figure, her red lips curving into a subtle smile. The fact that he could still joke with her indicated his mindset hadn't been affected by Nagaraja's provocations, which brought her a degree of relief.

With a wave of her hand, she led the team to follow immediately.

Over the next half-day, Zhou Yuan led the team to breach six barrier nodes in quick succession.

The process was relatively smooth, but Zhou Yuan knew their swift progress was entirely due to his overwhelming strength at that moment, which allowed them to bypass all obstacles and advance directly.

Nevertheless, as they pushed forward, a growing solemnity settled in Zhou Yuan's heart.

This was because almost every one of those six nodes was guarded by one or two Saint Race experts whose Genesis Qi foundation had reached 3.5 billion.

While it was true that his chosen path was the one with the strongest defensive forces, it also became apparent that the number of top-tier Saint Race experts truly surpassed that of the Five Great Heavens.

According to Zhou Yuan's estimation, if the Saint Race's ambition hadn't been so vast this time—attempting to devour all nine ancestral qi main veins at once—and instead they had focused their strength on seizing only the most abundant ones, then the Five Great Heavens would truly have found it difficult to compete.

It was no wonder that in previous battles over the Ancient Origin Heaven, the Saint Race had almost always reaped the greatest rewards.

Meanwhile, the Five Great Heavens were left with mere scraps.

Inside one of the barrier nodes.

Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged, absorbing the Heaven and Earth Genesis Qi to replenish his own. The half-day of intense combat had also taken a toll on him.

As they continued to breach more nodes, the Saint Race's defensive forces would only grow stronger, requiring him to maintain his peak condition at all times.

As he recovered his Genesis Qi, Zhou Yuan took out a purple-gold jade slip. Light emanated from it, forming a projection screen.

On the screen, countless twinkling lights represented the various teams from the Five Great Heavens currently inside the grand formation.

"More casualties," Zhou Yuan murmured. With just a quick glance, he noticed that several more light points had completely dimmed and vanished, clearly indicating that those teams had been utterly annihilated after fierce battles.

Their sacrifices, however, were not in vain. Each destroyed node was gradually destabilizing the "Sacred Evolution Boundary Grand Formation."

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil within him, and then focused his gaze on the most critical routes.

Among these routes, Bai Xiaolu's team was advancing the most swiftly; she had already destroyed four nodes, second only to his own team.

Jiang Jinlin, Guan Qinglong, and the others were progressing somewhat slower, likely having encountered more formidable opponents.

Zhou Yuan took a closer look at Zhao Mushen, Su Youwei, and Wu Yao. Although their progress wasn't rapid, the light points representing their status remained bright, indicating they hadn't sustained significant injuries themselves.

However, Zhou Yuan knew this was only the beginning.

As they pushed deeper, the enemies they encountered would only grow stronger.

Until the final barrier.

Zhou Yuan stood up and turned to Li Qingchan and the others. "The next node is quite important," he said, "and it will surely be guarded by powerful, high-ranking experts. All of you must be careful."

Hearing this, Li Qingchan and the others also grew solemn, nodding seriously.

They all understood that they were not qualified to participate in battles of Zhou Yuan's caliber. Their sole responsibility was to protect the formation flags.

Seeing their resolve, Zhou Yuan said no more. He unleashed a punch, his Genesis Qi like a dragon, shattering the void.

The distorted space was torn open, and he stepped through first, leading the way.

The team behind followed closely.

Stepping through the spatial rift, the scene before them shifted almost instantly. A vast, boundless forest appeared in their vision, stretching into the distance as far as the eye could see.

Upon entering this barrier node, Zhou Yuan's gaze immediately swept towards the distance.

He spotted it hovering above a mountain peak in the distance.

Three figures hovered in the air.

One stood prominently, with two others slightly behind.

The leading figure made no attempt to conceal his Genesis Qi fluctuations; terrifying Genesis Qi raged like a storm through the heavens and earth, causing the very void to tremble.

A Genesis Qi foundation of 4 billion!

And the two figures behind him each possessed a Genesis Qi foundation of approximately 3.8 billion!

Li Qingchan and the others behind them all subtly changed their expressions. A Genesis Qi foundation of 4 billion was the hallmark of a Saint Genius!

Before them stood a Saint Genius, leading two top-tier experts to bar their way!

"A Saint Genius from Sacred Ancestor Heaven."

Zhou Yuan gazed calmly at the three figures as a dark, flowing light coalesced in his palm, forming the mottled black brush.

"Finally, someone worth fighting has arrived."

Zhou Yuan held the Heavenly Yuan Brush angled downwards. Battle intent and murderous aura gathered in his eyes, and a sharp, formidable presence slowly emanated from his body, like dark clouds blanketing the sky, sweeping across the world.

"Next..."

"Let me see just how capable you, the Saint Genius of Sacred Ancestor Heaven, truly are!"